


365 Cups of Coffee

by witch_kid_milo



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Domestic Violence, F/F, Like please tread carefully, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-09
Updated: 2016-09-17
Packaged: 2018-06-07 10:24:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 13,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6799921
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/witch_kid_milo/pseuds/witch_kid_milo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eliza Schuyler needs to start over. After being cheated on she takes her young son and moves in with her older sister and her husband in New York City. A walk to Philip's new school leads to Maria, a cup of coffee, and the kick off to a year full of new opportunities neither of them can pass up.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. First Cup of Coffee

**Author's Note:**

> *UPDATE* as of May 12, 2015 this chapter has been edited and revised. Not much has actually changed but it does sound a whole lot better now.  
> 1) this took me way to long to write.  
> 2) this is my first Hamilton fanfiction (and my first fanfiction since like grade 9 so kill me)  
> 3) Updates should be about once a week on tuesdays or wednesdays but i can't 100% everything because i am in grade 12 and diplomas are coming up soon.  
> 4) Big thanks to my shitlord friend who knows nothing about Hamilton but is editing this fic anyway.

The last conversation that she had with Alexander was stilling running through eliza’s mind as the plane landed. She could still feel Alexander’s hand as he grabbed hers in a last ditch attempt to get her to stay. It was useless though and she knew that, it was his fault anyway. He was the one that had been cheating on her. For almost two years the man who she had loved slept with a man named John Laurens, a boy they both had met in high school, hell they had all been friends. They weren't friends anymore.  
She found out on a Saturday at 7:22pm when Alex had said he was going to the bar with some friends. He had forgotten his phone and Eliza could see that he had received a few texts. Curiosity got the better of her of course, and she checked the messages and saw what he and John had been sending to each other. She called her sister, Peggy, at 7:36pm and asked if she would be willing to take her son Philip for the night. Peggy happily said yes, and so she got her young son to pack an overnight bag and drove him to Peggy’s small house.  
Alexander hadn’t got home until 4:52 am and he had been practically sneaking into the house, but Eliza was awake. She had refused to sleep. He was shocked, but he looked pleased to see her sitting on the couch clutching what was now a cold cup of tea.  
“Eliza, what are you doing up? It’s nearly five. You should be asleep.”  
She didn’t look up at him, “Oh I just couldn’t sleep.”  
“Well come back to bed,” he said as he began to walk towards their room.  
Eliza stood, “How long has it been going on?”  
“Come back to bed, that would be enough.”

The conversation, if you could call it that, that followed lasted until 8:47am before Eliza told Alexander to get out. She told him to take his shit and to stay out of her and Philip’s lives. He protested that, but there was nothing he could do when Eliza slammed the door in his face at 9:32am.  
At 9:41am, when Eliza was sure he was gone, she finally let herself sink to the floor and cry. She sobbed until 10:59am. When she finally had no more tears to cry, she grabbed her phone and called the person she trusted the most. Her older sister Angelica.  
Angelica answered her phone at 11:04am. By 11:22am Angelica knew the whole story and was ready to jump on a plane and kill Alexander, and would have, had Eliza not stopped her. The problem laid in the fact that Eliza had nowhere to go. Sure, she could stay at her house, but the thought that Alexander could try and come back made her skin crawl.  
A solution was offered by Angelica’s husband, John Church, in the form of her and Philip moving to New York and living with them until they could find a place of their own. Eliza had fallen silent for a few moments before finally asking if that would really be okay.  
And so two one way tickets to New York City were bought at 12:15pm.

 

Eliza was right about in thinking Alexander would be coming back, because on December 29th at 7:39pm he came in hoping to talk. Eliza almost slammed the door in his face a second time, but he swore he would only be there for a few minutes to grab some more clothing. It had been while he was on his way to the bedroom that he noticed the tickets sitting on the kitchen counter.  
He stopped, and turning to face Eliza, with a voice that wavered just a little, he asked if she was leaving. Although hadn’t really been a question. He asked her when she would be coming back, but she didn’t have an answer for him.  
“You are coming back, right?”  
“I don’t know Alexander. You really haven’t given me reason to,” her eyes went hard as she said this.  
There were no tears this time when he left, just a much needed glass of wine. 

On January 16 at 7:34pm a plane with Philip and Eliza on it took off and made its way towards New York City. She was half expecting Alexander to follow them to the airport and stop them, but he didn’t. He had shown up at the house as she packed the last of her and Philip’s things into the back of a taxi.  
He grabbed her hand as she put the last suitcase in the trunk, “Please, reconsider. I can fix this.”  
“No,” Eliza said, pulling her hand away and closing the trunk, “You can’t.”  
So she got into the taxi and left.

Angelica was ecstatic to see the pair of them at the baggage claim. Philip got to her first. She enveloped him in a huge bear hug and kissed his cheek causing him to groan about the fact he thought that it was gross. Angelica just laughed, telling him that his Uncle John might have a gift for him. Philip’s eyes widened and he quickly ran off towards where John was standing.  
“It better not be candy. You know he will never sleep if it is.”  
Angelica laughed again, “It’s not, don’t worry. It’s just a toy car that he found shopping this weekend.”  
“He’ll like that.”  
“So, how is everything?”  
“It’s been better, that’s for sure. I think being here will be good for us though.”  
“What about you? How are you are doing?”  
Eliza turned to face her sister, “I don’t know.”  
At 8:56pm, as Eliza was wrapped in a hug from Angelica, she began to cry.

Philip fell asleep on the drive to Angelica’s house. He leaned lightly on his mother’s side, snoring softly. Eliza simply stared out of the car’s window, watching buildings pass and snow fall gracefully down to the ground. The house that her sister lived in was one of those brownstone houses, straight out of the movies, that was left to her in a will from a Great Aunt who had died.  
Angelica almost didn’t take it when she was told that it was hers. She had said that she would rather Eliza and Alexander, after all they had just had Philip, but Alexander’s work was in Washington. Eliza’s whole life had become Washington D.C., and at the time she couldn’t see herself leaving. So it was weird as she watched John pick up her son from the car and carry him inside the house at 9:45pm.

The morning started like one at home, with Philip racing into her room and jumping onto the bed at 7:36am. She let her son drag her to the kitchen, saying that he wanted cereal for breakfast.  
Angelica was already up and making coffee when the two of them walked in. “Good morning,” Eliza said as she grabbed a coffee cup for herself and a bowl for Philip.  
“Morning.”  
“Do you have any cereal?”  
“Yea it’s in the pantry. Second shelf,” Angelica called as she poured them both a cup of coffee, “You have any plans today?”  
“Not really. I was thinking of taking Philip on walk to show him-” Eliza stopped as she opened up the pantry, “Lucky Charms, really Angelica?”  
“I am his aunt, I’m allowed to spoil him.”  
Eliza huffed and grabbed the box.

The rest of the of the morning passed as normally as having a six year old on a sugar rush could be. It wasn’t until after the 18th round of Super Smash Bros Melee at 1:41pm that Eliza decided it was time to go outside. There were complaints and groans from both Philip and John as she shut off the TV.  
“Come on Philip. We’re going to walk over to your new school, you’ll like it.”  
“And,” Angelica added as she walked into the room, “There is this cute coffee shop on the way there. You might be able to get something if you ask your mom nice enough.”  
Philip’s eyes seemed to be as wide as dinner plates as he looked up at his mother, “Please can we?”  
“Sure, but you have to be a good boy when we walk.”  
“I will!” he shouted as he took off towards the front door.  
“Philip wait for me please," Eliza turned, “And Angelica?”  
“Yes?’’  
“Stop giving him ideas.”

They were almost to the cafe when Philip took off. He said he was going to race her to the store. Eliza panicked as he rounded a corner and she lost sight of him. Eliza ran after him expecting the worse, but instead he was fine with a young woman kneeling in front of him.  
“Philip!” she yelled, “What were you thinking?”  
Philip looked down, “Sorry moma.”  
Eliza looked at the woman, “Thank you for stopping him.”  
“It is no problem. If I had kids I would want someone to do the same.”  
Eliza took Philip’s hand, “We are going home.”  
She turned and began to walk away when the woman called out, “Wait.May I buy you a coffee?”  
“I should be the one buying you a coffee, but that would be nice.”  
“Consider it a ‘Welcome to New York’ gift.”  
Eliza blushed, “Is it really that obvious?”  
“Just a little,” she said with a laugh, “Maria.”  
“Eliza,” she said and for the first time since the night she found out, Eliza was completely unaware of the time.


	2. Second Cup of Coffee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eliza runs into an old friend and learns something she wasn't expecting about Maria.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Edit* as of June 1st I have finally figured out Maria’s daughter's name!!!!! So it has been changed and it is now Susan

Monday morning was cold. The temperature dipped close to zero as Eliza dropped Philip off at school. The wind bit at her skin as she pulled her hat down further over her head and began the walk back to Angelica’s. As she crossed the street she looked up at the sign for the cafe, The Scarlet Letter, where she had met Maria just days before.

    The store seemed so inviting and warm as Eliza walked past. A glance inside gave her a sight she wasn’t expecting, Maria. Her dark curly hair pulled back into a neat ponytail, apron with the cafe logo on it. She was washing a table and idly talking to a boy who looked like he was cleaning something on the other side of the counter.

    “Maria!” Eliza hailed happily as she walked in, stamping the snow off her boots.

She jumped a little before realizing that it was Eliza, “What are you doing here?”

“I dropped Philip off at school and was walking back, but it’s cold. That, and this place has great coffee.”

“You like your coffee black, right?”

“Yes please."

    “You heard the girl, Lafayette.”

    “Yes ma’- Eliza?”

    She turned quickly away from Maria, “Lafayette? What are you doing here?” he looked the same as the last time she saw him, save for the bun that sat messily atop his head. He had a scruffy beard and a smile that made him look like he was up to something no matter what he was doing.

    “I could ask you the same thing,” Lafayette went to slide over a counter but a death glare from Maria stopped him.

    “I’m visiting my sister for a bit.”  
    Lafayette looked around, “Where’s Alexander?”

    Eliza froze for a moment. She was suddenly hyper aware of her phone in her pocket being weighed down by 34 missed calls and 51 text messages. She can see see his dark eyes and his sly smile. A scruffy face that hadn’t  been trimmed in days because he has been working late and leaving early, if he came home at all, but when he was home it was kisses on cheeks, ruffling Philip’s hair, and happiness.

    “He’s still in DC,” Eliza’s voice grew smaller as tears filled her eyes.

    Lafayette didn’t hesitate this time in hopping over the counter, and pulled her into a hug, “You don’t have to talk about it now if you don’t want to.”

Eliza buried her head into his chest and breathed in the familiar scent of Lafayette,  
    “Thank you.”

    He kissed her cheek, “Black coffee right?”

“Yes.”

Eliza sat down at a table with her coffee and stared out at the world through a frost covered window. She could her Maria make her way towards her table and watched her sit down at the table across from her. She could feel Maria’s knees brush up against her own as she settled into the chair across from her.

“What was that all about?” Maria asked, tipping her head in Lafayette’s direction as he dealt with another customer.

“My husband, Alexander, has been cheating on me.”

“Oh. I’m sorry.”

Eliza shrugged, “I’ve been told that so many times by so many people, but it still hasn’t set in yet.”

“It’ll take a bit.”

“You seem like you have experience with this,” she took a sip of the coffee.

“More than I would like,” she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, “My ex-husband James  wasn’t the greatest person. By that I mean he beat me, cheated on me, and mistreated me. Next thing I knew he had taken our daughter, Susan, three states over to live with his parents.”

She stopped as another person walked in, ordered some weird cappuccino and left. “He cut me off from the bank accounts, deactivated his Facebook and his phone, and disappeared off the face of the earth for nearly three months. He left me alone for three months and I wasn’t working at the time so I had no source of income,”

“I did get a job after a few weeks but it wasn’t enough to cover everything. The day he came was the day after the power had been shut off and the day before that the water was cut off,”

“I didn’t want him at the house. I didn’t want him anywhere near me. I Just wanted my daughter back,” Eliza reached across the table and carefully took her hand, “But I needed him for the time being for money, so I let him stay,”

“I finally got a second job working at a cafe not far from here and that’s where I met Lafayette. He trained me and was constantly telling me his plans to one day open his own little coffee shop, it was cute. I eventually told him about James one day and he practically forced me to pack my bags and move in with him,”

“He helped me file for divorce.”

“And hopefully a restraining order!” Lafayette called from the counter.

Maria laughed slightly, “Yes and a restraining order. We opened up this shop together and everything seems to have just worked out.’

“Are you two still living together?”

“No, once his boyfriend George moved out, I got my own little place.”

Eliza smiled and give her hand a little squeeze, “Hey that’s awesome, is your daughter with you then?”

“No, unfortunately she is still with his parents but we Skype on Saturdays, and I went down there for Christmas to see her.”

“You’ll get her back.”

“Thank you,” she said softly

They sat in a comfortable silence for almost ten minutes as Eliza finished her coffee. A few more people came in and ordered. Most took it to go except one, who sat in the back corner typing furiously on a laptop.

Eliza was still holding onto Maria’s hand when she set the empty cup on the table, “What you have been through makes my problems seem like nothing.”

“Being cheated on isn’t nothing Eliza. No matter what someone else has been through.”

Eliza smiled, “Thanks Maria.”

 

“I’m back!” Eliza called into the house as she removed her coat and hung it up in the closet.

“That took you long enough,” Angelica commented, while stepping out of the kitchen, “Did you get lost on the way there?”

“I'm not incompetent. I stopped by The Scarlet Letter and got caught up in a conversation with Maria.”

“The girl who bought you coffee the other day?”

Eliza smiled, “That would be the one. She actually owns it with Lafayette.”

“I forgot he was in the city,” Angelica said as the two of them walked back into the kitchen, “I was just about to make lunch, do you want some?”

“Yes please.”

The two of them were just about done their sandwiches when Eliza’s phone rang again. She grabbed her phone from her pocket and checked the caller I.D., finding herself incredibly disappointed when she saw it was Alexander’s name on the screen.

She went to hit the ignore button, but  Angelica stopped her, “You should answer it. You can’t just keep ignoring him.”

Eliza was about to snap ‘watch me’ at her, but when she saw the look that her older sister was giving her, she sighed and took the call.

“Eliza! Thank god. I didn’t think you were going to answer,” his voice was a familiar sound to Eliza’s ears. Comforting and warm.

“What do you want, Alexander?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hell yea got this chapter up in under a week. Hopefully I'll keep this up lmao.  
> Special thanks to my dear friend who edited this after I wrote it drunk.


	3. Third Cup of Coffee

“You need to come home,” Alexander said.

Eliza was silent for a few moments as she moved into the living room before taking a deep breath, “No.”

“Here me out. I could fix this, I could make it up to-”  
“No!” she yelled, “You don’t get it, do you? I’m not coming back. Ever.”

“But-”

“You’ve broke n my heart Alexander , so I’m burning the memories that we had between us.”

“Please,” he pleaded, “Just give me one more chance Eliza. I don’t want to lose you, the best of wives and best of women.”

Tears pricked at the corner of Eliza’s eyes. She wanted to run back to him and let him hold her as she cried. She wanted to feel his hands slowly rubbing circles on her back as the two of them sat down on the couch. She wanted to wake up with him their limbs tangled together and her head pressed into his chest. She wanted- her thoughts were cut short as a new voice entered the background noise of the call. The new voice happened to be John yelling that he was home.

“Really? You want to fix this and yet you are still with him.”

“Eliza I can explain.”

“Go to hell Alexander,” with that she she ended the call and threw her phone on the couch. 

Angelica tenderly placed a hand on her shoulder, “You ok?”

“I’ve been better.”

“I can still fly down there and kick his ass if you want.”

Eliza let out a laugh that dissolved into a sob as her sister pulled her into a hug.

 

Eliza left the house at 2:30 to go pick Philip up from school. She walked with her head buried in her scarf and hands deep in the pockets of her jacket. As she rounded the corner , she  spotted? noticed? Maria stepping out of her shop and onto the sidewalk.  No longer being pulled back into a ponytail, her brown curly hair fell loosely on her shoulders. Maria  had been tugging on her gloves as she turned and spotted Eliza coming down the street.

“Running into you two times in one day, a new record,” Maria said with a smile as Eliza walked up to her.

“I think everything counts as a new record at this point,  seeing how we met like two days ago.”

Maria rolled her eyes, “No need to shut me down  so quickly ,” she glanced down to the school, “You picking up Philip from school?”

“Yea. He is still a little too young to be walking to school on his own.”

“You mind if I wait with you?”

Eliza smiled, “Not at all. Actually the company would be nice.”

The two of them walked a little farther down the street in a silence that was starting to become familiar to Eliza.

“Hey,” Maria said breaking the silence and grabbing Eliza’s attention, “I just realized, as nice of a person as you are, I know next to nothing about you. You could be an ex-axe murderer for all I know.”

Eliza laughed, “Well what do you want to know?”

“Let’s start simple, how old are you?”

“30, and my birthday is August 9th.”

“Really? You’re actually 30?”

“Yes. Do I look older than that?”

“Oh no,” Maria waved her hands frantically as the two of them waited to cross the street, “You look a lot younger than that but I guess it makes sense with Philip being 6.”

“He’ll be 7 on Friday. What else do you want to know?”

She thought for a second, “Where’s your family from?”

“Upstate New York , but I moved to D.C. with my family at the beginning of high school.”

“ H ave you go ne to  College or University?”

“Yea. I wanted to be a Kindergarten teacher. I ended up getting pregnant with Philip right at the end of my third so I ended up not finishing my degree. It was just easier to be a stay at home mom,” they stopped in front of Philip’s school.

“What does  the ex-husband do?”

“Alexander? He’s a lawyer. Graduated high school a year and a half early and fast tracked through University. What about you?” 

“What do you mean?”

“How old are you?”

Maria smiled, “29. My birthday is October 5th.”

“Where’s your family from?”

“Who knows,” she leaned against the fence, “I bounced around the foster system until I aged out at 18,” the bell to the school rung, “Well , I should head home.”

“Thanks for waiting with me Maria.”

“It was no problem. Have a good night Eliza.”

 

The rest of Eliza’s night went by without another phone call or text from Alexander. The early morning was the same. Angelica ate a quick breakfast with her and Philip before running off to work. Eliza finished getting Philip ready for the day and walked him to school. Much like the day before she stopped by The Scarlet Letter, mostly to get a cup of coffee, but also partially to see Maria. 

She spotted Maria  immediately upon walking in standing behind the cash register helping a line of customers. She smiled when Eliza finally got up to the counter, “Good morning! What can I get for you?”

“Medium black coffee please.”

“Black coffee please , George!” Maria called over to the man making drinks. He gave a quick thumbs up before going back to his work. 

Eliza looked quizzically at the girl, “George as in the one that Lafayette is dating?”

“That would be the one.” 

“Is there anyone that he hasn’t roped into this coffee shop?”

Maria laughed and slid the coffee across the counter to her, “Besides you? No.”

“I swear to god once that boy gets an idea in his head he will not stop.”

“Oh trust me I know,” as Eliza turned to grab a table Maria called after her, “Give me a second I’ll take my break and sit with you.”

Eliza grabbed the same table by the window as she had  the day before and stared out at the street. From  t here she could see a few kids running up the steps of the school obviously late and panicking.

She was quietly laughing to herself as one of the kids slipped on a patch of ice as Maria sat down, “What’s so funny?”

“A kid down the street fell while he was running to school.”

“Now I would pay to see that. Did he fall hard?”

“Not really, just a minor slip. Kid pick ed himself up right after,” Eliza’s phone buzzed in her pocket. She fished after it , mostly expecting a text from Angelica asking her if she would pick something up from the store or if she made it home safe. She turned on the screen and was  greeted by a message from the last person she wanted one from. Her face formed a deep scowl as she read the message a second time. 

“Is everything okay?” Maria asked.

“It’s Alexander.”

“Oh?”

“He’s coming up this Friday for Philips birthday.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Maira makes me me sad. why have i done this to my child.  
> once again big shout out to my editor for putting up with my shit.  
> you can follow me on tumblr btw [tumbllr-lesbian](http://tumbllr-lesbian.tumblr.com/html/)


	4. Sixth Cup of Coffee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eliza just wants a few things, for her son to have a good birthday, a hot cup of coffee, and for Alexander to not show up.

Friday came quicker than Eliza would have liked. She left the house early to pick Philip up from school, head buried in a scarf to stop the wind from biting at her ears. Maria hadn't worked since Tuesday so the last few days had been mostly catch up with Lafayette and a proper introduction to George, who was just as sweet as Lafayette had made him out to be.

The bell on the door jingled as she walked into the coffee shop, which had become a familiar second home with the scent of freshly ground coffee and muffins baking in the kitchen. Maria glanced up from the latte she was making and smiled, “Afternoon Eliza!”

“Hey Maria,” She took off her scarf and hat and slipped them into the messanger bag she was carrying, “How’s your day going?”

“Better than yours apparently. Medium black coffee?”

Eliza groaned, “Did Lafayette tell you?”

“Yea, sorry.”

“You might as well make it large then.”

Eliza dug around her bag for her wallet as Maria went to pour her coffee, “Don’t worry about it Eliza it is on the house.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

“Yes I do,” their fingers brushed as Maria handed Eliza her coffee, “Did you see Alex yet?”

“No. I left when Angelica went to pick him up from the airport.”

Maria smiled sweetly, “Grab a table I’ll come sit down as soon as Thomas comes back from the break that ended five minutes ago!” the last part of her statement was shouted back towards what Eliza would guess is a break room.

Eliza turned to go to the table that had become hers over the last few days when an oddly familiar voice sound from behind her, “Eliza? Is that you?”

She turned around and came face to face with, “Thomas Jefferson?” the two of them were frozen staring at eachother. He looked strikingly similar to Lafayette with the same curly hair, although his wasn’t pulled into ponytail like Lafayette’s, same eyes, and even the same scruffy beard. Although Lafayette’s made him look like he was young and ready to take on the world well Thomas’ looked like a the first beard a 15 year old had gotten.

“Do you seriously know someone else that works here?”

“Yea. We went to highschool together. He would never stop arguing with-”

Thomas cut her off with scowl and a spiteful tone, “Alexander.”

“What did he do to you this time?”

Before he could answer Maria cut him off, “Thomas you can chat on your own time, right now you do have work.”

“Yes ma’am,” he said sarcastically while rolling his eyes.

Maria slid into the seat across from Eliza, “So how exactly do you know Thomas?”

“Like I said, we went to highschool together in Washington.”

“And the arguing with Alexander thing?”

“Well you see, Alex has this bad tendency to not know when to shut his goddamn mouth and he joined the debate team,” Eliza just shook her head, “And so did Thomas.”

“So who ended up getting kick ed off the team?”

“Alexander actually. He punched Thomas after an argument they had before a big debate.”

Maria had to stifle her laughter, “Like in the face?”

“Yep, gave him a bloody nose too. Both of them actually missed the debate that day and the team ended up losing.”

Both of them were laughing quite hard when Thomas finally clued in that they were talking about him, “Are you talking about the time Alexander assulted me?”

“Oh hush up Thomas. You were fine , he didn’t even break your nose,” he grumbled and turned back to wiping down the counter.

The two of them talked for another 20 minutes before Thomas got fed up and called Maria a hypocrite for yelling at him for being on his break for too long. She just rolled her eyes before getting up and saying goodbye to Eliza. Eight or nine more people had come in to grab coffee, stamping off the snow that had been falling steadily throughout the day off their boots as they did so, so Eliza didn’t even look up from her E-Reader. At least not until she heard Alexander call her name at 2:43pm.

“Angelica said you would be here but I also thought she might have warned you,” he walked towards her table with strong purposeful steps, “God it is so good to see you.”

Eliza let out the breath she didn’t know she was holding, “What are you doing here?”’

“You knew I was coming? It is Philip’s birthday.”

“Not here in New York. Why are you here?”

He paused for just moment, “I wanted to talk.”

“No,” Eliza stood suddenly almost knocking her chair over.

“Wha-”

“Not here. Not now.”

“Betsey please,” he begged as she began to walk past him. It was at 2:45pm when he grabbed her wrist and she made eye contact with Maria who look ed as though she was going to step around the counter and fight Alexander. Eliza shook her head no slightly and pulled her arm away from his loose grasp.

“Philip’s school lets out in a few minutes I have to pick him up,” she put her hand on the handle of the door not bothering to put on her toque, “I’ll see you at Angelica’s.”

Eliza was standing outside Philip’s school for no more than a few minutes when Maria walked up to her, “Are you okay?”

“I’ll be better once he leaves,” Eliza glanced towards the coffee shop, “Shouldn’t you be there to watch Thomas?”

“No . Laf showed up, had one look at Alex, took a deep breath, and I ducked out the front door before I could see what happened.”

She laughed, “I am actually sad that I’m missing whatever is going down in there.”

It was silent for a few minutes as they stood next to the fence with snow drifting down around them catching in their hair and on their jackets. Maria broke the silence after a few more moments, “So what are you going to do for the weekend?”

“Deal with it until Alexander leaves. I’m an adult , things don’t always work in my favor and I have to learn to live with it.”

“You could do that, or you could come over to my house and watch Disney movies while we drink wine.”

“I can’t. We are having a family dinner for Philip’s birthday and I can’t miss that.”

“Then don’t. Come over after dinner. You can take a break.”

“I don’t want to intrude.”

“Eliza you are not intruding, I invited you over,” Eliza went to say no again, “I’ll text you my address. Message me when you are on your way.”

“I didn’t say yes.”

“I know. I’ll see you tonight.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is only a day late and being posted at midnight because 1)I hate myself and 2)I have been suffering from massive writers block. But that is all fixed now so expect the next update on Tuesday. Hopefully.  
> BY THE WAY!!!! My great friend (whos main blog can be found at [questingbibliophile](http://questingbibliophile.tumblr.com/) and her art blog which is [ace-hawk-art](http://ace-hawk-art.tumblr.com/) ) drew some really cute fanart for this chapter and [you should check it out](http://ace-hawk-art.tumblr.com/post/145228694894/doodled-a-thing-for-tumbllr-lesbian-for-their)


	5. Seventh Cup of Coffee

“We’re home,” Eliza called as she and Philip walked into the house brushing the snow off their coats, “Philip make sure you take off your boots.”

Eliza could hear the television quietly playing from the living room, “How is Maria?”

“Why do you automatically assume I was with Maria?” she paused for a moment, “She is doing fine, thanks for asking.”

Philip darted towards the living room, abandoning his jacket, hat, and scarf at the door, leaving Eliza to pick up after him. She could hear him rambling to his aunt about the perfect score on the spelling test he got. As Eliza walked into the living room she ran her hands over her hair smoothing down a few of the stray hairs, “How was the drive?”

Angelica shrugged, “As good as it can be with New York traffic and with well…” she let her sentence trail off but Eliza knew what she was going to say. _As good as it can be with Alexander._ Angelica glanced around for a moment with her eyebrows furrowed, “By the way where is he?”

“He stopped by the coffee shop to talk but got caught by Lafayette when he showed up for work.”

“Oh no. What happened?”

“I’m not actually too sure, Maria told me after I had left,” Eliza dropped onto the couch, “By the way she invited me over for wine and movies after dinner, I hope you don’t mind if I leave Philip here.”

“Go ahead.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes I’m sure. I want you to be happy and I can see that going on a date with Maria-” she didn’t get the chance to complete her sentence because Eliza cut her off.

“Angelica! You have to be kidding me? It is _not_ a date. We are just friends!”

Angelica was doubled over laughing when the front door opened letting a rush of cold air in causing Philip, who was lying on the floor doing his homework, to look up, “Is Uncle John home already?”

“I don’t know,” Eliza said, “Why don’t you go check.”

Philip got up and made his way over to the door. It only took him a second to recognize who had actually walked through the door, “Pa! You’re here!” he dashed forwards into what Eliza would guess was the open arms of his father waiting for a hug.

“Of course I’m here. It’s your birthday I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

Philip had pulled Alexander into the living room rambling on about what he had done in school that day, “And the best part of the day is when Miss. Dandridge taught us how to write poems.”

“Why don’t you read your father yours?” Eliza suggested leaning forwards slightly on the couch to watch her son.

He nodded and dug into his school bag pulling out a piece of paper and clearing his throat, “My name is Philip. I am a poet and I wrote this poem just to show it. You wouldn’t guess it but my birthdays today. Me and Ma just moved into the city but I think we’re here to stay. I may only be seven but people say what I write sounds like heaven. I’ll be as big as my father one day, you wouldn’t know but guess what I’m not going to go,” Philip looked up from his paper at his family and was met with a round of applause.

From where she was sitting Eliza could see Alexander beaming with pride as he ruffled Philip’s hair, “That was fantastic Philip.”

“That’s some kid you got there Eliza,” Angelica chimed nudging her side gently.

Before she could issue a thank you, Alexander looked up, his eyes burning with the same fire that she had seen as long as she had known him. Her voice caught in her throat as he started to talk. “One day he’ll run Manhattan, one day he’ll blow us all away.”

 

Dinner plans were made for a little diner down the street called the Moonlight Diner, which only was open from 5:00pm to 4:30am but also had some of the best grilled cheese in the whole city. At least that is what John said when Angelica mentioned it when while they were talking. There was were no arguments from anyone else, mostly because due to Alexander and Eliza didn’t know not knowing the city well enough.

They got there and picked a table big enough to fit the five of them, and had their drink orders ordered their drinks from a sweet looking girl whose nametag read Dolly. They all held idle chatter, but it wasn’t as awkward as Eliza was expecting it to be and everyone seemed to be putting on a good face for Philip.

“Did you hear back from them?” Angelica asked as Dolly dropped off their drinks.

“Actually I did. I got an email from them earlier, I have an interview on Monday,” Eliza said happily taking a sip of her Sprite.

“Interview? You’re getting a job?”

“Yes Alexander. If I’m going to be living here I need to have job.”

“So you really aren’t coming home.”

Eliza’s eyes went cold, “Can we not do this now.”

Alexander went silent for a few moments before he stood suddenly, “I’m just step outside for a minute to grab some fresh air,” he walked away from the table, his long legs carrying him quickly to the to door and out into the night air.

It was quiet for a few moments before John broke the silence when he cleared his throat, “So have you guys want?”

“I want a cheeseburger and fries,” Philip said looking up from his the colouring page that Dolly had given him when they sat down.

Eliza glanced towards the door before looking back at her family, “I’m going to have to try the grilled cheese. I have heard that it is delicious,” she paused for a moment looking back at the door, “Hey Angelica. will you order for me?”

“Yeah no problem.”

“Thanks,” Eliza said as she got up.

“Where are you going Mom?”

“Just to see what your father wants for dinner. I’ll be right back,” and with that she left walked towards the door.

 

She found Alexander leaning against a wall, a cigarette dangling from his lips and his phone in his hands as her frantically wrote something down. His jacket was unzipped and she could see his gloves hanging precariously from his pocket.

“I thought you had quit,” she said as she walked up to him.

He shook his head, “I can’t believe you. You’re actually going to leave.”

“I don’t know what you were expecting after what you did Alexander.”

“Maybe some forgiveness,” he snapped.

Eliza let out a laugh, “You have to be fucking kidding me. You sleep with another man for two years and you honestly expect me to just forgive you like nothing happened.”

“How-”

“I was friends with him too.”

“Well then what do you want Eliza? A divorce?” he almost spit out the word and she could see the anger bubbling up behind his eyes.

Eliza froze for a moment. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t thought about it, although usually the word would float around her head late at night while she would stare at the ceiling of the dark bedroom. She knew it would come up sometime over the weekend, it had while he was here. They would have to talk about it but Eliza thought that she would bring it up.

She exhaled the breath that she hadn’t noticed that she was holding and looked Alexander in the eyes, “Actually Alexander I do.”

Now it was Alexander’s turn to go silent for a moment, the anger that was threatening to boil over stopped and was replaced with a sadness that Eliza hadn’t seen since high school when John moved away, “Please Eliza. I don’t want this to end. I want to fix this.”

“The thing is Alexander,” Eliza turned and went to walk back to the dinner, “There is nothing left to fix.”

 

For the rest of diner Alexander didn’t talk, let alone look at, Eliza. He only added a few things to the conversation and spent most of his time talking with Philip. The finished up their dinner and ordered a big slice of cake for Philip. They all sang Happy Birthday and watched happily as Philip blew out his candles. He couldn’t finish all of his cake, so he gave it to Eliza to finish, which she did without protest. When they went to pay, Alexander insisted on paying for them saying it was least he could do for letting him stay at their house for the weekend. Angelica had went gone to stop him, but her husband put a hand on her shoulder and whispered something in her ear that effectively stopping her.

By the time they got home at 8:30pm, Philip had fallen asleep. A full day of school and the excitement of his Dad being there for his birthday had tuckered the kid out. Alexander carried Philip in and brought him up to his room, while Eliza slipped into the bathroom to touch-up her makeup and pull her hair into a quick braid, then and dropped a text to Maria to let her know that she was on her way.

“Hey Angelica I’m heading out,” Eliza said popping into the living room where John and Angelica were trying to decide on a movie to watch.

“Do you want a ride over there?”

“No that’s fine. She isn’t too far from here so I’ll walk.”

John leaned forwards past Angelica, “Going to visit your girlfriend?”

“She’s not my girlfriend!”

“Right sure,” Angelica rolled her eyes, “And John and I aren’t married.”

“You suck. I should be back later tonight but if I’m not I’ll text you.”

 

Maria’s apartment was a four block walk away. The sidewalks were mostly empty, save for a few people rushing past hoping to get out of the cold and snow. Eliza, however, wasn’t in a rush to get anywhere. Her conversation with Alexander was still playing over and over in her head.

“Divorce,” she whispered to the cold night air even though the word taste like acid burning her tongue. It felt so final.

Eliza made it to the building sooner than she would have liked. She almost wanted to take another trip around the block for a few more minutes to walk and think about everything but instead she buzzed room 708 and waited for Maria to answer.

“Hey,” Maria’s voice called out from the speaker.

“Hey it’s me.”

“Oh just give me a moment Eliza. I’ll you in.”

A few seconds passed then the sound of the door unlocking filled the little front room that she was standing in. The lobby, if you could really even call it that, was small with only a door that said stairs, an elevator, mailboxes, and what Eliza would assume was an office. The whole place smelled of dust and ageing furniture. She called the elevator and waited as the creaky machine made its way down from the ninth floor. When the doors groaned opened Eliza almost considered taking the stairs.

 

“Come on in! It’s open!” Maria called when Eliza knocked on the door with the golden 708 on it.

“Sorry I’m so late.”

“It’s no problem I knew you wouldn’t be here early,” she said as she walked into the front foyer, “By the way, how was dinner?”

Eliza groaned, “Just as bad as you would expect. Alexander and I had a fight and he brought up divorce.”

“Oh yikes,” she gestured for Eliza to come in, “I’ll grab you a glass of wine.”

“Thanks. I’ll need it.”

Maria disappeared into the kitchen and reappeared with two glass full of red wine, “Do you know what movie you want to watch?”

“Depends what movies do you have?”

“Mulan, Cinderella, The Little Mermaid, The Lion King, and Snow White.”

“You were serious about the Disney movies.”

“I never joke about Disney.”

Eliza laughed, “I’ll have to go with Mulan then. By far the best movie Disney has made.”

“How dare you,” she shook her head, “Whatever. Have a seat and I’ll get the movie started.”

 

Eliza woke up with early morning sunlight filtering through the windows of Maria’s apartment and the smell of coffee brewing. She glanced around, the apartment looked a lot different in the daylight. It look more open and the slightly off white paint made it look new unlike the lobby. Actually the whole place reminded her of Angelica’s.

Eliza froze. She was supposed to call her sister if she was spending the night. She was going to be so worried. She sat up stretching out her muscles and knocking off the blanket in the process.

“Morning sleepy head,” Maria said carrying two cups of coffee into the living room, “Sleep well?”

“As well as I could on a couch.”

“Nothing that a cup of coffee won’t fix.”

“As much as I would like to I forgot to call Angelica last night before I fell asleep. I have to get home.”

“Don’t worry about it. I hope you don’t mind but she called last night just before the movie was over and asked when you were coming home. I told her that you fell asleep and she said that was fine and to let you sleep.”

Eliza let out a sigh of relief, “You are a saint.”

“Do you want that coffee now?”

“Yes please!”

 

They sat on the couch for ten minutes drinking coffee and trading stories from their childhoods when they both ran out of coffee.

“I’ll fill them up if you want,” Eliza offered.

“That would be nice.”

“Do you want anything in it?”

“Just two sugar please. It should be on the counter still.”

Eliza stepped into the kitchen, which was on the smaller side but still big enough for one or two people to live here. As she set the cups on the counter there was a knock at the door, “Are you expecting someone else?” Eliza called out to Maria.

“No actually. I would say it was Lafayette but he has a key and usually just barges in.”

Who ever it was knocked again, and she could hear Maria grumble an ‘I’m coming’ as she got up and walked towards the door. Eliza went back to making the coffee as Maria opened the door.

It was silent for a heartbeat before Maria spoke, “What the hell are you doing here?”

“I’m here for my things,” a deep mans voice said. His voice sounded like how sandpaper felt on skin.

“I don’t have any of your shit James.”

Eliza’s eyebrows furrowed at the name. It sounded familiar, like Maria had mentioned it before.

James let out a deep sarcastic laugh, “You are mine Maria. I’m here to take back what’s mine.”

 “You can go to hell James. I am not your goddamn property,” and that’s when she heard it. The unmistakeable sound of skin hitting skin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and enter James Reyonlds the biggest dickbag in the fic  
> did you know that you can yell at me on [tumblr](http://tumbllr-lesbian.tumblr.com/) for being an asshole to my sweet honey Maria


	6. The Second Seventh Cup of Coffee

Eliza was frozen, her knuckles turning white from gripping the coffee mugs so tight. The small apartment was devoid of noise save for the sound of an aging radiator trying to keep out the cold. She set the mugs down on the counter as quietly as she could and tip toed over to the entryway of the kitchen.

“I’m sorry about that Maria, but you know better than to be like that,” he took a deep breath in, “Now go grab a few things to wear. We will come back and pack the rest of your stuff in a couple of days.”

“No,” Maria’s voice was quieter than before but still had a firm tone to it.

James let out a sarcastic and cruel laugh, “I don’t think you understand,” Maria let out a gasp of pain, “That wasn’t a suggestion.”

Eliza had heard enough and finally stepped out from around the corner.

James was bigger than she thought he would be. He had to have had at least a foot of height on Maria and his hand wrapped completely around her upper arm. He was smooth shaven and looked well put together. Well , as put together as he could look with his hair disheveled and eyes wild with anger. Even with the distance between  them , he scared Eliza.

He hadn’t noticed her yet and she still had the chance to back up and stay in the kitchen , but she couldn’t abandon her friend.

“I don’t think you understand the meaning of no.”

James head snapped up at the sound of her voice, “Who the fuck are you?”

Maria was already shaking her head no in a vain attempt to stop  her from confronting James but Eliza was long past the point of reason. She narrowed her eyes at him, “That doesn’t matter. What matters is the fact that Maria has told you to leave her apartment and you haven’t. Don’t doubt me when I say I will call the cops and have you arrested for trespassing and from what it looks like, assault. So I believe it is in your best interest to leave.”

“How dare-“

Maria cut him off before he could speak any further, “Don’t even bother James. Just go.”

“Fine,” he narrowed his eyes at Maria, “We’ll settle this later,” with that he turned, stormed out of the apartment, and slammed the door behind him.

The two of them waited for a moment staring at the door as they heard James’ heavy footsteps disappear down the hallway. It wasn’t until they could faintly hear the elevator moving the man down towards the lobby that the air in the room began to feel lighter.

Eliza took a hesitant step forwards, “ A re you ok?”

“Yeah I’m fine,” her voice sounded broken and quiet like a record that keeps almost skipping.

“Do you want me to call someone?” a couple more steps forward and she was with in arms reach of Maria.

“No. I’ll be fine.”

Eliza placed a light hand on her shoulder and Maria turned to face her and for the first time she could see the bright red mark across her cheek that was already starting to turn purple.

“Maria-“ before Eliza could finish her sentence , Maria enveloped her in a hug and began to cry.

An hour later the two of them were on the couch watching a random romantic comedy that they had found on Netflix. Maria was lying across the couch with their head in Eliza’s lap and she was running her hands through the girl’s curly dark hair. They hadn’t really talked after James had left but rather let comforting silence envelop them.

Eliza let the movie continue for a few more minutes before finally breaking the silence, “Hey I have to leave in a bit if I’m going to make it back for Philip’s birthday party.”

“Oh well, don’t let me keep you here,” Maria said sitting up and stretching.

“You can come with me if you want.”

“Are you sure? I mean I am an uninvited guest.”

“You can’t be uninvited when I just ask you to come. On top of that you are one of the few friends that I have in this city; I would be offended if you didn’t come.”

Maria let out a small laugh, “Okay just let me get changed.”

Maria was gone for only a few minutes when Eliza heard her shout from the bathroom, “You have to be fucking kidding me!” she opened up the closed door and stepped out towards the living room, “Why didn’t you tell me that I had a black eye?”

“I wasn’t too sure how to tell you.”

“How about, Oh hey Maria, just so you know your abusive asshole of an ex-husband gave you a black when he came by earlier today. Wouldn’t that have worked?”

Eliza was taken aback by her aggression, “I’m sorry. I just- I didn’t know how.”

Maria’s shoulders dropped, “Sorry. I’m just frustrated. Why does James think he can come in here and say that I’m still his? It just makes me mad.”

“So what are you going to do about it?”

Her hand gently brushed over the darkening bruise, “Nothing. It’s not my fault that he can’t keep his hands to himself. It has taken me a long time to realize that it’s not my fault that James hit me,” Maria shook her head and ran her hands through her hair, “Come on , let’s get going.”

The mid-morning air was warm with the sun beaming down on the city streets below. The two girls   walked together, enjoying each other’s company and the silence that enveloped them. Eliza had her hands buried in her pocket and her scarf was dangling loosely around her neck but still kept her jack zipped up and her hat pulled down around her ears to keep out what little cold hung in the air. Maria was not as warmly dressed as her companion. Rather , she just had an unzipped sweater gently clinging to her shoulders and her hair was pulled into a lo o se ponytail.

The two of them both paused when they passed The Scarlet Letter, glancing in through the lightly tinted glass. Maria looked back at Eliza, “I should stop in and make sure everything is okay.”

“What are you scared Laf might burn the place down?”

“Just slightly,” she giggled while pushing open the door.

The place smelled like it did every time Eliza had walked through the door, fresh ground coffee and something baking in an oven.

“Hello, welcome to The Scarlet Letter,” Lafayette called when the door chimed as it opened. He turned and smiled when he saw that it was the two of them but his happy grin quickly dropped when he saw Maria’s eye, “ _ Mon Dieu! _ Maria what happened to you?”

Maria rolled her eyes, “It’s nothing Lafayette. Please don’t make a big deal about it.”

“Not a big deal!” he exclaimed as he step out from behind the counter, “My little Maria is hurt.”

“I’m fine, don’t worry about it. It doesn’t even hurt.”

Lafayette sighed, “Fine. What are you here for then? Coffee?”

“I’m just here to make sure you didn’t burn the place down.”

“Do you really have that little faith in me to run my business?”

“Yes , actually,” it was silent for a few moments before Maria turned and face Eliza, “Anyway, do you want anything?”

“A medium black coffee if you could Laf.”

“Anything for you  _ mon cher.” _

__ __ Eliza dug into her pockets to grab change to pay for the coffee but Maria put a hand on her to stop her, “Hey don’t worry about it. It’s on the house.”

“Why do you insist on buying me coffee?”

“Because it’s my shop and I do what I want.”

Eliza just laughed and rolled her eyes but stopped looking for change.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *EDIT*  
> So a few of the chapter names have been changed just because I got my counting wrong. For this chapter I had to figure out if i wanted to name it Eighth Cup of Coffee because it is the Eighth cup Eliza has or Seventh Cup of Coffee (part two) because it takes place in the same day as the previous chapter. So who knows i might change it.  
> *EDIT 2*  
> yea i changed this chapters tittle again but with a new spin on it. i can't make up my mind
> 
> Why do I hurt Maria like this? Who knows. If you want to yell of me you can at my [tumblr](http://tumbllr-lesbian.tumblr.com)  
> As always a huge thanks to my great beta thanks for putting up with me
> 
> And now an explanation. I know I have been gone for a long time. I just haven't been in a good mental state to write. But I'm doing better now so there should be more frequent updates. Not once a week but maybe once every other week. It might pick up as I get back in the grove of it.


	7. Eighth Cup of Coffee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Philip's birthday party brings more than Eliza was expecting.

Maria and Eliza stayed in the coffee shop for fifteen minutes idly chatting about whatever came to mind. Lafayette had joined them for a brief moment when there were no customers waiting. After that the two of them said a quick goodbye before stepping back out onto the sidewalk and heading towards Angelica’s house. It was quiet again, save for the sound of Eliza’s boots gently tapping on the ground and Maria’s heels clicking against the concrete.

          They were almost to the house when Maria spoke up, “So I realize this is kind of last minute but I don’t actually have a present.”

          “I know that,” Eliza said with a laugh hiding just under her breath, “I invited you last minute and you hardly know my family so I wouldn’t expect you to bring one anyway.”

          “Oh I’m meeting the parents already? I didn’t realize how quick you wanted this relationship to move.”

          Eliza let out a laugh while blush crept out dusting her cheeks, “Come on, we’re here.”

          Eliza had barely closed the door and called out a hello when Philip came barrelling around the corner from the kitchen. His face, hands, and shirt were streaked with multiple colours of paint and he had the biggest smile on his face. He went to hug his mom but Eliza put a hand out to stop him from getting too close.

          “Now tell me Philip, is that paint dry?”

          He put a hand to the one part of his arm that didn’t have paint on it and when he took it away he had left a perfect hand print behind. He looked up to Eliza with a sheepish grin on his face, “No.”

          “Well then a hug can wait a few minutes while I go change into my painting clothes, okay?”

          “Okay!”

          “Now why don’t you go back and finish what you were doing and Miss. Maria and I will come join you in a second,” Philip nodded vigorously and dashed back towards the kitchen.

          “What did I get myself into Eliza?”

          “Oh nothing bad,” Eliza said giving the girl a dismissive wave, “Now come on I should have a spare shirt you can wear, unless of course you want to get paint on your clothes.”

          “I’ll pass, I kind of like this shirt,” Maria went to take a step off the mat but Eliza stopped her.

          “No shoes in the house,” Maria furrowed her eyebrows, “Angelica’s rules not mine.”

          After a brief introduction in the kitchen where Eliza said hello to everyone but Alexander, she ushered Maria to her bedroom. Her room was small but enough for just her. It had a queen sized bed pushed into one corner, a dresser up against the opposite wall, and a closet directly in front of the bed.

          Eliza walked in and made her way directly to the dresser and pulled open the bottom drawer. She looked up and saw Maria still standing in the doorway, “Come on in. You can sit on the bed while I look for a shirt.”

          Maria walked into the room her bare feet making no noise on the carpeted floor of the room, “Nice room you’ve got here,” the bed creaked when she sat down.

          “It’s not much but it works for now.”

          “Thinking about getting your own place?”

          “I want to,” Eliza sat back onto her heels, “I wish I could say I was more prepared when I left with Philip. I wish I could say to you ‘I’m only staying here until I can sign the lease on the place that I was looking at,’ but I can’t. Because I didn’t leave with a plan, I just left because I was angry. What if I was wrong? What if I made a mistake?” Eliza shook her head, “Sorry I’m rambling at you, let me find that shirt.”

          Maria stood up off the bed and made her way over to Eliza and sat cross legged in front of the open dresser drawer, “Tell me Eliza, does this feel wrong to you?”

          “No this feels like the most right thing that’s happened to me in years.”

          “Then this was no mistake Eliza. If it feels right to you then this is the best thing you could have done for yourself and your son.”

          Eliza rubbed one of her eyes that threatened to spill over with tears, “Thank you,” her hand went back into the drawer and came out with one green and one black paint covered shirt. She offered them to Maria, “They both are extra-large.”

          “I’ll take green then.”

          “You can change in here then,” Eliza stood and stretched, “Once you’re done just wait for me outside the bathroom, although it shouldn’t take me all that long.”

          Eliza stepped out of the bathroom after a few minutes, her hair pulled into a messy bun and shirt hanging loosely off her frame. Maria was leaning against the wall on her phone; her head was bowed forward allowing for a few strands of hair to fall like a curtain around her face. She took a few steps towards the girl and Maria looked up her brown eyes sparkling with what Eliza swears were flecks of gold.

Maria raised an eyebrow at her, “I didn’t see you as the type to put your hair up.”

“I’m not but I’ve gotten paint in my hair before and it’s a pain in my ass to get out,” Eliza smiled as Maria stifled a laugh, “Now come on I’ll do proper introductions.”

The two of them made their way into the kitchen in time to see Angelica putting a large blank sheet of paper in front of Philip. He smiled and dipped his hand into a paper plate full of orange paint.

Eliza gave an exasperated look to her older sister, “Angelica why?”

“I couldn’t find any paint brushes so we decided that it would be better to paint with our hands anyway. Isn’t that right Philip?”

“The art looks better when you use your hands, don’t you agree Ma?”

Stepping forward Eliza stuck her finger into blue paint and drew a happy face onto the corner of the paper, “I couldn’t agree more.”

Philip smiled and made his own smiley face next to Eliza’s and then  turned to look at Maria, “What happened to your eye Miss. Maria?”

“Well you see,” Maria stepped forward and dipped her finger into the red paint, “While your Mom and I were walking here we got attacked by this crazy monster. It had these big claws and scary red eyes and was covered in long shaggy hair,” she had drawn what she explained with two little stick figures in front of it.

Philip’s eyes look like they were about to pop out of his head, “Really?”

“Yep and your Mom and I had to fight him off. I was lucky to get away from it with only this little wound, but don’t worry we fought off that monster and it won’t be back anytime soon.”

He laughed and started asking a million questions about the monster to Maria, who answered them all with equal enthusiasm. Eliza felt a gentle nudge from Angelica and she glanced over at the girl, her sister raised her eyebrows and flicked her eyes at Maria and then back to Eliza. She just shrugged off the unspoken question hoping she would understand that she would answer it later.  

Eight more giant sheets of paper and an hour and a half later Eliza took Philip to wash up the best he could for lunch. Maria, John, and Alexander all stayed in the kitchen to clean up the paint that had narrowly gotten in the walls as Angelica prepared the grilled cheese and soup.

Eliza huffed, “Alright I give up, you are having a bath after dinner.”

“Do I have to?”

“Yes you do.”

“Are you sure?”

“If you keep arguing with me there will be no bubbles in the bath,” Eliza smiled as Philip scowled but stay quiet, “Alright now go on and help your Aunt with the last of lunch.”

Philip went to go run out of the bathroom and nearly barreled into Maria, “Sorry Miss. Maria.”

“That’s alright kiddo,” he smiled at her and took off back towards his waiting Aunt. Maria leaned up against the door frame, “You know, you’re really good with him. I’m surprised you didn’t have more.”

“We had been thinking about trying for another kid but that was just before everything happened so we really didn’t get around to it.”

“Hey you never know maybe you’ll still get the chance one day.”

The rest of the afternoon passed quickly with the addition of two kids from Philip’s school coming over, presents, and cake. The kids were now sitting in the living room watching a movie with Alexander and John, while Eliza, Maria, and Angelica were sitting around the kitchen table drinking tea.

Maria took the last swallow of her drink and then went to stand up, “I should get going.”

“Are you sure?” Angelica asked grabbing the empty cup and brought them over to the dish washer.

“I want to check in on Thomas before I head back home so I will have to start walking now if I want to start dinner at a decent time.”

“Well then at least let me get John to drive you home.”

“Oh no, that will be fine,” she said waving off Angelica, “I want to spend a bit of time at the shop anyway. Besides that it is a beautiful day out so I don’t mind walking.”

“Would you mind some company?” Eliza asked.

“From you? Always.”

The two of them started walking just a little after four. The street was now a messy mix of slush, dirt, and puddles and the sidewalk was faring no better. The sudden warm sun was causing everything to melt and Eliza was nearly sure that it would be cause for one icy morning the next day. A kid was running down the street and when he ran past the two of them he sent water splashing up onto both of them.

Eliza was just about to say something about the kid needing to watch out when Maria brought a foot down into a puddle causing both of them to get splattered with water.

“Maria!” she shrieked as Maria let out a string of giggles before doing it again making Eliza take a few steps away from the girl, “Look what you did I’m covered in water now!”

 Maria just laughed again before continuing walking towards the café. Eliza rolled her eyes and ran a few paces to catch up with her. It was silent for the rest of the walk.

When they did reach the lightly tinted glass of The Scarlet Letter, Maria turned and faced her.

“Thanks for today.”

“Oh it’s no problem. Philip loves you and you are quite a nice person to be around.”

“Not just for that, but for what happened back at the apartment. I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t been there.”

“Hey,” Eliza wrapped her in a hug, “What are friends for.”

“Yea, friends,” she said her voice just barely an audible whisper.

After a quick goodbye to Maria, Eliza made her way back to the house and the rest of the night past by rather uneventfully, save for the tense dinner where Eliza refused to acknowledge Alexander.

Long after Philip had been put to bed and Alexander said he was going to bed Eliza finally got up off the couch and made her way to the bathroom to get ready for bed. She was just finish the last of her braid when Alexander knocked lightly on the open door.

“I know I’m the last person you really want to talk to right now but this needs to be done before I go.”

Eliza turned to him and was slightly taken aback by what she saw. Alexander’s eyes were red and puffy like he had been crying and his usually well-kept hair was dishevelled. She took a deep breath, “What do you want to talk about?”

“I’m Eliza. I know how these things work. I know that us living so far apart is going to affect who gets custody.”

This caused Eliza to take a sharp intake of air, “If you try to take my son away from me I swear to whatever God there might be out there that you will not make it out of that fight.”

“I know that,” there was a pause as Alexander took a few deep breaths, “That’s why I’m not going to fight for custody. You can have sole custody of Philip. The only thing that I ask is that you don’t cut my son completely out of my life.”

“Alex you don’t have to do this.”

“Oh Betsey, my Betsey, my best of wives and best of women, I know,” he placed a kiss onto the top of Eliza’s head, “I want to.”

Alexander’s words kept Eliza up for a few hours after she had went to bed. The darkness that usually made her feel calm and relaxed felt suffocating with the knowledge that he wasn’t going to even try. Even after she did fall asleep her dreams were full of images of James growing long claws and having red eyes, Maria beaten and broken, Philip gone with no explanation, and the suffocating feeling of being alone.

Eliza woke in a cold sweat her alarm clocks red light showing that it was 5:50am. She staggered out of bed and to the bathroom where she promptly threw up the little that was left in her stomach.

Angelica found her like that her knuckles turning white from gripping the toilet so hard. Her sister didn’t hesitate to pull back her hair and started to rub small circles on her back until Eliza sat back and wiped away the tears that ran down her cheeks.

“Are you okay?”

Eliza stood shakily and flushed the toilet, “I’ll be fine. Thank you Angelica.”

“What are sisters for? I’ll go get you some crackers go lie back down.”

Eliza smiled gratefully at her sister as she turned on the tap to brush her teeth. Once she was done she made her way back to her bedroom and crawled under the still slightly warm covers. She was only in there alone for a few moments before Angelica swept in with a plate full of crackers.

“Do you know what that was all about?” she asked passing the plate to Eliza.

“My best guess is the dreams I had last night. They were pretty awful so I wouldn’t be surprised if the stress of them caused me to be sick.”

“What were they about?”

“Nothing coherent, just a nightmarish mix of all the bad shit that has happened over the last few days.”

Angelica placed the back of her hand against Eliza’s forehead, “You don’t feel warm.”

“No but you are making me feel like a child.”

“Stay in bed and rest. I don’t need you getting the whole house sick,” Angelica said completely ignoring Eliza’s complaints.

“I have to take Philip to school.”

“Nonsense, I’ll take the kid to school. you stay here and sleep off whatever stomach bug you’ve caught.”

“Don’t you have work?”

“They won’t mind if I’m an hour late. Especially since my sister is sick in bed with some kind of flu.”

Eliza smiled at her sister, “I have I ever told you that you’re a saint?”

“Probably, but who's keeping track?”

Eliza woke back up to the sound of her phone's alarm going off on the nightstand next to her. The clock said it was 9:30am which meant that she had slept almost three hours. She reached over and grabbed the still beeping phone and went to turn off the alarm and hopefully go back to sleep when she saw ‘Reminder: Interview at 11:30am’.

She groaned but swung her legs out of the bed and let her feet brush the rough surface of the carpet. Her head was pounding but that wasn’t anything that a large cup of coffee and a few Advil wouldn’t fix.

 Eliza shuffled over to the back of her door and grabbed the house coat that was hanging there before making her way to the kitchen to get something light for breakfast. When she got there she was surprised to find John sitting with a half drunk cup of coffee in front of him while he read the paper.

“Why aren’t you at work?” she asked as she made her way over to the coffee pot.

“I took the morning off to take Alexander to the airport. I honestly expected the traffic to be worse than it was so I made it home a lot sooner than I expected to,” John folded the paper and placed it on the table, “Don’t mean to pry but didn’t Angelica put you on bed rest for the day?”

“Yes but she didn’t know that I had a job interview at eleven.”

“You’ll want to be extra careful then. She finds out you left the house and she might tie you to the bed.”

Eliza went to defend her sister but stopped, “Yeah she probably would.”

She left the house at quarter to eleven so she would have time to stop for coffee on her way to the interview. When she pulled open the door she was greeted with a very disgruntled looking Lafayette cleaning tables and smug looking Maria standing behind the counter.

Eliza smiled as she walked up to the counter, “What’s got him so mad?”

“That doesn’t matter,” she heard Lafayette scoff and let out a string of what Eliza would guess was French curse words, “Because, no offense, you look like crap. What’s going on?”

“I was up at six this morning throwing up.”

“One large black coffee it is.”

“Oh you know me so well.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the longest chapter to date I am super proud of myself. updates should be up to once a week on Thursdays now so get ready for my regular updates.  
> You can check out my [tumblr](http://tumbllr-lesbian.tumblr.com/) where I scream about this very fanfiction and how I am not working on it when I should be


	8. Twelfth Cup of Coffee

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick note. There most likely won't be an update next Friday due to the fact that it is a convention weekend. Also I am planning something fun for when I hit 1000 views so keep an eye out

Eliza walked into the café Thursday afternoon, inside was quieter than usual with no one inside but George behind the counter drying a few coffee mugs. The chimes jingled against the glass of the door as it swung open and then closed.

“Morning Eliza,” George said with a smile when he saw her walk up to the counter, “The usual?”

“I am seriously becoming that much of a regular?”

“You come here every day and get the same thing, a medium black coffee. You do know that we have other things on the menu, right?”

Eliza scoffed, “Of course I do. I just like my coffee pure, untainted, and-“

“Bitter? Sad? Tasting like gross bean water?”

“If you hate coffee so much, why do you work in a café?” Eliza paused for a moment, “Wait I already know that answer, Lafayette.”

“What can I say, he can be really persuasive when he wants to be.”

“Speaking of Lafayette, I’m surprised that you’re working alone without him.”

“I’m not here alone actually. Maria is in the back taking her break,” he said gesturing towards a door marked with an employees only sign, “Did you want me to grab her for you?”

“That would be nice.”

George passed Eliza the cup of coffee before walking over to the door and calling out for Maria. Eliza in the meantime took the coffee over to her usual table and sat down taking small sips of her drink.

“Good morning,” Maria beamed as she slip into the seat across from her, “Long time no see.”

“We saw each other on Monday.”

Maria dismissed her with a wave of her hand, “How are you feeling today? Laf mentioned that you still hadn’t been doing all that well the last couple of days.”

“I mean I didn’t throw up this morning, which is a nice bonus.”

“And how did the interview go?”

“Not like I was expecting,” Maria gave a confused look to Eliza, “Well you see…”

Eliza stepped out of the restaurant and onto the busy New York sidewalk and began to shoulder her way back to the house. She was keeping her head down when she did the one thing she had set out to not do and bumped straight into someone. She had tumbled backwards onto the ground.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean too,” said the flustered voice from above her.

“It’s fine. I should have been watching where I was going.”

“Well here let me help you up.”

Eliza smiled and grabbed the waiting hand. She went to say thank you when she finally got a good look at just who she had bumped into, “Aaron Burr?”

“Elizabeth!” he smiled and pulled her into a quick hug.

Time had been nice to Aaron. His dark skin was free from wrinkles except for a few smile lines that had formed around his eyes. Other than that his style was the same from when they were younger, buzzed hair, clean shaven, and a fresh suit.

“How have you been?”

“Great, actually I just opened up my own law firm recently and…” Aaron trailed off looking around at the quiet a few angry looks they were getting from people for being stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, “How about we catch up over some coffee? I know a coffee shop not too far from here.”

“That would be nice.”

The coffee shop that Aaron took her too was in a few ways like The Scarlet Letter but didn’t hold that same feeling of comfort and home. They both ended up ordering the same thing, medium black coffees and grabbed a seat in the back corner.

“So tell me about this law firm you’ve started.”

“It’s nothing fancy, just a small office that I’ve rented. I had been working under the same law firm for years just waiting for that perfect opportunity to arise.”

“Well it looks like it has come to you now.”

“You could say that.”

“How many people are working with you?”

“It’s just me at the moment but I’m looking at hiring a secretary to help with things around the office.”

“’Well if luck would have it,” Eliza shifted in her seat, her legs crossing, then uncrossing, and re-crossing again, “I’ve been looking for a job.”

“Oh? Did you and Alexander move out here?”

She took a deep breath, “No. We are actually in the process of getting a divorce, so I’m staying with my sister for the time being.”

“I’m sorry to hear that but if you are looking for work I would be more than happy to have you.”

“I would love to,” Eliza said , relieved that Aaron didn’t pry into what was going on with her and Alexander.

“Well in that case,” Aaron fished through the briefcase before he pulled  out a card, “You can call me and let me know when you can start.”

Maria sat back in her chair causing it to creak a little, “What happened with the other job?”

“They called me back on Tuesday and told me that I was ‘too over qualified’ or something,” Eliza rolled her eyes at the thought, “Who would have thought that you could be too over qualified to be a waitress.”

The sound of the school bell ringing snapped both girls out of their conversation and got Maria to stand up, “That sounds like your cue. Well I mean you could leave Philip there but I think that would be bad parenting.”

Eliza laughed, “Thanks for chatting. I didn’t mean to keep you from work for so long.”

“It’s fine. George doesn’t mind, do you George?” she called over her shoulder. George just shrugged and went back to whipping down the counter.

Eliza stood and grabbed her things , catching Maria’s eye, “What’s in the bag?”

“Just some toothbrushes for me and Philip.”

“Oh well that’s a lot less exciting than it could have been.”

Eliza just laughed and rolled her eyes at the girl, “Have a good day Maria,” Eliza saw Maria give her a little wave before she re-tied her apron.

Eliza’s eyes were locked on the cup of over steeped green tea in front of her. The sound of Philip’s cartoons were drifting in from the living room making for great white noise for the mess that was Eliza’s brain at the moment. Her hands kept shaking making it impossible to actually drink the tea.

She wanted to cry again but her sister would be home soon and if she saw her crying Eliza would have to tie her down to stop her from killing Alexander. Angelica might kill him anyways after she  found out what  was wrong. Eliza ran a hand through her hair trying not to think about what she found out. There was so much that could go wrong now. There was so much more at stake.

Eliza was so lost in thought she didn’t notice Angelica come home and walk into the kitchen until she placed a hand on Eliza’s shoulder, “Hey , is everything okay?”

She looked up and saw the concern in her sister’s eyes. She could feel tears pooling in her eyes and she tried desperately to blink them away.

“Eliza, what’s the matter? Did Alexander say something to you? Because if he did I will fly down to D.C. and kick his ass.”

Then mention of Alexander made her break. She let out a broken sob, “Oh god Angelica.”

Angelica crouched down in front of her and grabbed her hands, “What happened?”

Eliza took a shuddering breath, “I’m pregnant.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOLY SHIT I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS TO COME OUT IN THE OPEN SINCE I STARTED WRITING.  
> Seriously ask anyone who knows me in really life and knows about this fanfiction and they will tell you that I have been planning this for months.  
> You can yell at me or find out the newest news about this fic on my [tumblr](http://tumbllr-lesbian.tumblr.com/)  
> As always a big thank you to my beta who edited this chapter while sick.


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